Lily Qi in Historic Win as Maryland Delegate

By Jennie L. Ilustre

Lily Qi won in the November 6 midterm elections, making history as “the first Chinese-born state legislator in Maryland.” She won 30,441 votes to represent Maryland’s District 15 as its new delegate in the Maryland General Assembly.

“I am excited to be your delegate, and to join a highly accomplished team of D15 state legislators in propelling Montgomery County and Maryland forward with new energy and new ideas,” she said in her remarks on Election Night.

Remarked Qi: “Yes, we made history. I will be the first Chinese-born state legislator in Maryland. But I didn’t run to make history. I ran to make a difference for this amazing place, where a story like mine is even possible, and where people would vote for someone whose name they can’t pronounce!”

Qi (pronounced “chi”) was born and raised in Shanghai, China. She also made history recently, when she became the first Asian American appointed assistant chief administrative officer on economic and workforce matters in Montgomery County. In acknowledgment of her role as a difference-maker in the state, The Daily Record named her among Maryland’s Top 100 Women for 2018.

Qi’s campaign platform cited Education, Transportation, the Economy, Gun Control and Students’ Safety, and Inclusiveness among her top priorities. For details, visit www.lilyqi.com

 

Gratitude

“I am grateful beyond words to all who made this miracle happen,” said Qi. Among others, she thanked County Executive Ike Leggett who “enthusiastically, without reservation” endorsed her early in her candidacy. She said his strong and early endorsement helped to propel her to “a winning trajectory.”

She expressed gratitude to Emerge Maryland, a program that trains Democratic women to run for office, the Chinese American community, state officials who supported her, as well as the organizations which endorsed her.

She acknowledged the major roles played in her first foray to elected office by her campaign team, donors, supporters and volunteers, as well as her friends. She also graciously thanked her competitors.

She likewise thanked her Republican friends for standing up for her and even promoting her candidacy with their friends. “Your decency inspires me,” she added. “Many local issues are not ‘political’ or value issues, and require pragmatic problem-solvers who are interested in getting things done.”

She gave special thanks to her family: “My husband Phil Peng, whose extreme commitment and tremendous sacrifice simply has no equal, and my son Andrew, whose brilliance and charm got me many votes at the doors and at the polls.”

 

The American Dream

Lily Qi came to the U.S. alone, inspired by her belief in the American Dream. She landed in N. Manchester, Indiana, where she worked several jobs between classes.

With hard work and determination, she obtained two master’s degrees while raising a family, and built a career as a higher education administrator. She and her family moved to Ohio, and then to West Virginia. They finally settled in the Washington region.

While working in American University, Lily got to interact with students from every social, ethnic, and faith group. She went on to become Vice President of Business Development for the Washington, DC Economic Partnership. She later served as spokesperson for the D.C. Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking.

During the O’Malley administration, she served as chair of the Governor’s Commission on Asian American Affairs. She was a former Asian Fortune columnist, writing about “Culture Matters.”

Delegate-elect Qi (D) has a sterling record of building public and private partnerships to foster innovation economy, among other things. She co-founded BioHealth Innovation, Inc. on behalf of Montgomery County. BioHealth promotes early-stage biomedical translational research and commercialization.

 

Election Night Speech

Full text of Delegate-elect Qi’s remarks on Election Night follows.

On Tuesday, November 6, our campaign got the ultimate endorsement: 30,441 Maryland District 15 voters put their trust in me to represent them as their new delegate in Annapolis.

At our election night watch party, a friend told me he was so proud because I did something that would only be possible for second or third generation Americans. But as I’ve been saying all along – it doesn’t take a generation for an immigrant family to be American.

Yes, we made history. I will be the first Chinese-born state legislator in Maryland. But I didn’t run to make history; I ran to make a difference for this amazing place, where a story like mine is even possible, and where people would vote for someone whose name they can’t pronounce! I am grateful beyond words to all who made this miracle happen.

 

THANK YOU:

To Emerge Maryland, a program that trains Democratic women to run for office, for your great preparation and encouragement along the way and to “push” me to run for something!

To County Executive Ike Leggett for the opportunity to serve under his stellar leadership, and whose early and strong endorsement of my campaign put us on a winning trajectory.

To other elected leaders who gave me an early vote of confidence in a highly competitive primary election, including Gaithersburg Mayor Jud Ashman, Poolesville President of Town Commission Jim Brown, and State Senator Cheryl Kagan.

To the organizations who endorsed me, including the Sierra Club, the AFL-CIO, the LGBTQ Dems, and many, many more.

To my 100-plus volunteers, including high school students who braved the cold, the rain, the heat…to knock thousands of doors and cover polls across the D15 precincts.

To my hundreds of generous donors, including those who never met me, and some who lived outside my district, who were simply excited to see someone like me run for office.

To my stellar and committed campaign team, who went through a grueling year with me and were there to share all the ups and downs.

To the new and old friends, dozens of whom hosted meet-and-greets, and hundreds of whom let us decorate their lawns with the Qi yard sign!

To my former competitors from the primary – especially Amy Frieder, Andy Van Wye, Tony Puca, and Hamza Khan – I am honored to have your support and thank you for your commitment to service.

To my Republican friends, I am proud of you for standing by me and even promoting my candidacy among your friends. In some cases, it was not an easy choice for you to stand up for me. Your decency inspires me. Many local issues are not “political” or value issues, and require pragmatic problem-solvers who are interested in getting things done.

But most important of all, I want to thank my family: my husband Phil Peng, whose extreme commitment and tremendous sacrifice simply has no equal, and my son Andrew, whose brilliance and charm got me many votes at the doors and at the polls, and whose pride in his mom makes me regret not having another child!

Finally, my deep, profound gratitude goes to the Chinese American community, which was a big winner this year, not only because several Chinese Americans got elected or re-elected, but also because our campaign has greatly accelerated the community’s social and political integration and maturity. I am so proud of you, and hope I have made you proud in turn. In spite of the dark days, goodness and justice prevailed, and we prevailed.

Let’s face it: even in inclusive, immigrant-rich, deep-blue Montgomery County, no one was out looking for someone like me when there was a vacancy in the State House. I had to assert myself and make the tough decision to run. But better representation means smarter policies. I am excited to be your delegate, and to join a highly accomplished team of D15 state legislators in propelling Montgomery County and Maryland forward with new energy and new ideas.

Thank you again for the journey of my life!